Bridgewaters cracking down on minors with marijuana

Thursday

Mar 23, 2017 at 7:30 PMMar 24, 2017 at 2:28 PM

The West Bridgewater Police Department is collaborating with Bridgewater and East Bridgewater police departments to launch a marijuana diversion program that will allow minors found in possession of marijuana to forgo the fines by instead attending a 4-hour diversion program that will educate on the effects and dangers of marijuana use.

Shannon Gallagher The Enterprise SGallagher_ENT

WEST BRIDGEWATER — Marijuana may be considered legal for adults in Mass., but that doesn't mean minors will get away with partaking in the Bridgewaters, if police can help it.

The West Bridgewater Police Department is collaborating with Bridgewater and East Bridgewater police departments to launch a marijuana diversion program that will allow minors found in possession of marijuana to forgo the fines by instead attending a 4-hour diversion program that will educate on the effects and dangers of marijuana use.

The program, set to launch on April 1 in the three Bridgewaters will give police officers the means to enforce a law that until now, lacked the “teeth” to truly hold citizens accountable.

While the state marijuana legislation that voters passed into law on Nov. 8 doesn’t extend legality to minors under the age of 21, it also fails to establish any enforceable repercussions that police can use to deter minors from breaking the law.

“Right now, if I cite you for under an ounce, you can take that citation and roll it up and throw it in the rubbish. Your license isn’t suspended, there’s no recourse,” West Bridgewater Police Chief Victor Flaherty said, “So we’re getting a little creative.”

According to the state law, minors under 18 found in possession of marijuana will owe a $100 fine, 10 hours of community service and 4 hours of diversion education.

To Flaherty, it’s most important that minors receive that third penalty: education about the dangers and effects of marijuana. But states authorities neglected to create such a diversion program.

So Flaherty decided to step in where the state has failed and create his own diversion program.

“This isn’t about fines,” Chief Flaherty said, “It’s about educating these kids about the dangers of marijuana so that they have all the tools and information so that when they are 21, they can make the right decision, if and when they choose to experiment.”

The program will be offered once every 3 months, available to minors in any of the three Bridgewaters. Officers from the three departments are collaborating to create a curriculum that will include an introduction to substance abuse and destructive decision making.

Parents will be asked to attend a part of the program and guest speakers will inform the kids about different topics such as mental health implications of drug use and repercussions of operating a motor vehicle under the influence.

To add a further incentive to get kids to the participate in the program, Flaherty said he will waive the $100 fine for minors under 21 who attend the course.

And while, in the past, minors found they could get away with ignoring fines for marijuana violations, that will no longer be the case. Police Chiefs in each town have designated an officer who will keep track of marijuana violations and whether each individual fulfills the requirements. If after one year, a resident hasn’t paid their fines or attended a diversion program, Flaherty said the department will take them to Brockton District Court to compel them to comply.

East Bridgewater and Bridgewater police are following Chief Flaherty’s lead.